U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, has announced millions of dollars of federal appropriations funding for three projects in Illinois’ 14th Congressional District.

Those projects include the expansions of the Mendota Health Center and the Illinois Valley Food Pantry in La Salle, as well as the construction of a governmental office space for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and their neighbors in Shabbona.

In a news release Jan. 16, Underwood announced that $2.56 million worth of federal funding had been appropriated toward those projects. During a Jan. 17 open house event held at her new DeKalb office, 2179 Sycamore Road, Unit 107, Underwood said supporting community efforts to combat hunger has been a “big priority” during her time in office.

“So many of our neighbors are facing food insecurity, and so every year we’re making it a priority to help our food banks and food pantries,” Underwood said.

Underwood has filed to run for reelection in the 2026 general election. Gary Vician of Naperville and James T. “Jim” Marter of Oswego have filed to run as Republicans.

The Illinois Valley Food Pantry will get $550,000 in federal appropriations funding, while the Mendota Health Center expansion project will receive $1.01 million, according to the release. The pantry will use the funds to expand refrigeration and storage capacity, and the Mendota Health Center will use the funds to transform a 10,666-square-foot warehouse into an expanded space for medical, dental and behavioral health services.

Prairie Band will receive $1 million from the federal government to help construct a governmental office space in Shabbona.

In April 2024, portions of the Shab-eh-nay Reservation were placed into a trust for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation by the U.S. Department of Interior, making the first federally recognized tribal land in Illinois an enclave in DeKalb County. Less than a year later, in January 2025, Illinois legislators voted to transfer ownership of 1,500 acres of stolen land in southern DeKalb County, which includes all of Shabbona Lake State Park, back to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.